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The Poblenou district <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/11/06/2009-world-architecture-festival-winners-announced/">in Barcelona</a> was once <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/04/brooklyns-gowanus-canal-gets-superfund-status/">buzzing with industry</a> until an industrial decline in the 20th century <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/10/22/water-pumping-plant-renovated-into-gorgeous-living-space/">left old warehouses</a> still standing in the neighborhood without much activity. The city is now trying to <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/22/seoul-recovers-a-lost-stream-transforms-it-into-an-urban-park/">revitalize the district</a> and has started a test area called 22@Barcelona. One of the new projects in the area is the <a href="http://www.ruiz-geli.com/">Media-TIC building</a>. Designed by Cloud9 architects led by Enric Ruiz Geli, it blends <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/09/29/shipping-containers-turn-warehouse-into-office-space/">old structures with new information</a> utilizing an inflatable smart facade that regulates sunlight and temperature for the structure.

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The skin is regulated by a solar-powered light detector - Image from Enric Luiz Geli and Cloud9

Ruiz-Geli wants the new district to be <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/zero-energy/">"energy autonomous."</a> The new factories and offices there will make energy as they use them. The Media-TIC building utilizes an inflatable Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (ETFE) skin that is regulated by a <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/solar-power/">solar-powered</a> automatic digital light sensor as the sun changes throughout the day.

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The "skin" is made up of different ETFE air chambers that are expanded or contracted as the light changes - Image from Enric Luiz Geli and Cloud9

The "skin" is made up of different ETFE air chambers that are expanded or contracted as the light changes.

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Media-TIC is a place for people to share information - Image from Enric Luiz Geli and Cloud9

In the city where Gaudi's architecture still reigns, the Media-TIC building's inflatable "skin" was designed to fit in with his famous fluid designs. <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/interiors/">The interior</a> is a place for people to think, meet, and create. The main floor is an <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/interiors/">open public space</a>.

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Structural beams are eliminated in the design- Image from Enric Luiz Geli and Cloud9

This was made possible by a new steel structure design that allows weight to be transferred to the outer beams in the building leaving the inner structure almost completely free of structural elements.

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The first floor is a public space - Image from Enric Luiz Geli and Cloud9

The ETFE skin allows light to filter through but shades the persons inside from direct sunlight reducing the UV rays by 85%.

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The Media TIC building is a great start to 22@Barcelona - Image from Enric Luiz Geli and Cloud9

The skin is also "anti-adherent" which means little need for cleaning the exterior. As one of the first steps for Barcelona in bringing new technology to the old Poblenou district, the Media-TIC building seems to be the perfect start.